ANIS

The Anorexia Nervosa Inventory for Self-Rating (ANIS) records deviant eating behavior, especially in the case of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. It asks about attitudes and behaviors that often occur in people with disrupted eating habits.

The ANIS is based in part on the theoretical concepts of Hilde Bruch (1973) on disorders of the body image and the perception of proprio- and interoceptive stimuli, as well as an all-pervasive feeling of insufficiency in anorexia nervosa.

In the course of the construction of the ANIS disturbed perception of proprio- and interoceptive stimuli turned out not to be recordable in one questionnaire. The other two concepts of Hilde Bruch's figure awareness and feeling of insufficiency could be confirmed in factor analyzes.

The ANIS records typical symptoms that are often encountered in anorexia nervosa, including compulsions, which are inquired about in a compact manner and related to eating behavior. The feeling of negative effects from eating is found in all types of anorexia nervosa, while binge eating is a characteristic of bulimia nervosa. Both scales describe essential aspects of the attitudes and behaviors found in anorexia nervosa. In addition, the ANIS records sexual fears and rejection of intimate contacts.

The following subscales are measured by the ANIS according to Fichter and Keeser (1980):

1. Figure Consciousness
2. Insufficiency
3. Obsessive-compulsive thoughts and behaviours
4. Negative Effects of Meals
5. Sexual Anxieties
6. Binge-eating

Possible uses of the ANIS questionnaire include screening of eating disorders, assessment of the severity of the eating disorder at the beginning of treatment, documentation of the course of treatment, quality and process control during treatment, as well as assessment of the treatment result.

The ANIS can be answered by an individual or in groups.

Questionnaire

Screenshot of ANIS questionnaire for your patients.

Scoring

The scoring takes place in tabular form. The arithmetic mean of the associated items is shown for each subscale. In addition, a global value is calculated from items 1 to 31. Item 32 checks the reliability of the answers.

You will receive the following scoring of the ANIS questionnaire in the therapists area of PsyDix.org (screenshot: ANIS scoring) and it can also be downloaded, it as a PDF file for your documentation.

Preview of the ANIS scoring as PDF to save in your documentation:

Download: ANIS scoring as PDF file.

Interpretation

A point value of 0 corresponds to not at all, 1 a little, 2 moderately, 3 considerably, 4 pretty much and 5 very much.

© Fichter, M., Keeser, W. (1980)